Is green hydrogen the fuel of the future?

Hydrogen gas has long been recognised as a potentially valuable
tool for tackling climate change. The most abundant element in
the universe, it is also a clean-burning gas and – in theory –
could be used to power almost anything, from our cars and homes,
to planes and ships, to agriculture and heavy industry.


We already produce millions of tons of hydrogen each year for use
in the chemicals industry, by extracting it from natural gas - a
process which emits CO2. But hydrogen can also be made by
splitting water molecules with electricity – and when that
electricity is powered by renewables it comes without a carbon
price tag.


It is this so-called ‘green hydrogen’ that is currently
generating hype around the world as the ‘fuel of the future’ and
the missing piece of the decarbonisation puzzle. Across the
world, governments are announcing far-reaching hydrogen
strategies. Fossil fuel companies, too, are investing big, hoping
to cash in on the ‘hydrogen boom’.


But for all the talk of green hydrogen as a miracle fuel, it has
a long list of drawbacks too. It is expensive, difficult to
store, inefficient and explosive. Previous hype cycles around
hydrogen have ended in failure for a combination of these
reasons. So while experts agree that hydrogen does have a role to
play in decarbonisation, the question is – how big should it be?
And are we about to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a
white elephant?


Contributors: Mike Strizski, founder of the Hydrogen House
Project Michael Leibreich, founder of Bloomberg NEF Sonja van
Renssen, Managing Editor of Energy Monitor Nawal Al-Hosany,
Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)


Presenters: Graihagh Jackson and Marnie Chesterton Producer: Zoe
Gelber Editor: Ros Jones